Met Office

Within the UK National Climate Science Partnership (UKNCSP), the Met Office and NERC: Natural Environment Research Council-supported Research Centres join forces to connect and leverage their #climate research capabilities, and work towards a shared vision of the UK as a global leader in #ClimateScience for climate solutions.      A new webinar series will kick off soon to share plans and progress with UKNCSP, and to engage the community as activities develop.     The first webinar will take place next week on Friday 19 July at 11:00 – 12:00 BST and discuss climate information ‘beyond UKCP18’, as the current climate projections products are being reviewed in the context of evolving user needs and developments in climate science. The webinar offers an opportunity to learn more about a potential vision for a broader and more usable package of Climate Information (UKCI), and to get involved in the process.    Prof Jason Lowe, Principal Fellow/Head of Climate Services for Government at the Met Office and Chair in Interdisciplinary Climate Research, Priestley Centre, University of Leeds, and Dr Carol McSweeney, Science Manager and Deputy UKCP Science Lead at the Met Office, will be leading the webinar, with contributions from other scientists from the Met Office, University of Bristol and National Centre for Atmospheric Science.    The webinar is free to attend. You can find all information and a link to register here: https://lnkd.in/eAmQ7pJb  

Many people around the world are experiencing more extreme weather, due to climate change. Now we're developing our skills in data science to drive forward advances in weather forecasting and climate projections. The Transatlantic Data Science Academy is led by the UK Met Office and the US NOAA: National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration. Its mission is “to develop an enabling environment to attract, retain and grow the skilled and diverse workforce needed to realise the potential of a new frontier in Data Science in weather and climate science now and in the future”.  By improving our ability to predict storms, floods, heatwaves and droughts, we can help to protect people from the impact of these events, and ultimately save lives.  Watch our video with Rebecca McCoy, Kate Huxtable, Tom Hill and Ray Tanabe ⤵ Learn more: https://lnkd.in/gRYsHTeG #ClimateChange #DataScience #Flooding #Heatwaves #ExtremeWeather

June 2024 has been cool, dry and sunny. It was a month of contrasts for many, with a cool first half offset by warmth later. Rainfall was also in relatively short supply, especially in the south. Get all the details here ➡ https://lnkd.in/eq3GCaq4

To commemorate the 80th anniversary of the D-Day landings, we are reflecting on the crucial role the Met Office played in the timing of D-Day. The operation depended on suitable weather conditions, with Met Office forecaster, Group Captain James Stagg, and his team of meteorologists, tasked with providing forecasts to the Allied Commanders deciding when to launch the offensive. In the official report afterwards, Stagg noted that if the invasion had been delayed, the troops would have met the worst Channel weather for 20 years. Hear more from National Meteorological Archivist Catherine Ross 👇 Find out more about the D-Day Forecast: https://lnkd.in/dqvWHqmZ

While it may not have felt like it for many, with sunshine in short supply, provisional figures show May and spring were the warmest on record for the UK. Get the full details, including how warm nights influenced the figures 👇 https://lnkd.in/ecWRJAga

People are at the heart of what we do and it’s great to see them recognised in their fields. Three of our scientists won awards in the Royal Meteorological Society (RMetS) Awards 2023 that honour exceptional contributions in #weather, #climate and associated disciplines. Prof Brian Golding has played a leading role in weather forecasting science at the Met Office for over 50 years and won the Mason Gold Medal Award for his outstanding contributions to the understanding of fundamental processes that determine the variability and predictability of weather and climate. Dr Nick Dunstone has been recognised with the Hugh Robert Mill Award for Precipitation Research for making major advances in predicting precipitation. Prof Chris Kenneth Folland has received an Honorary Fellowship for Contribution or Service to the Society or Profession, the highest honour awarded by RMetS, considering his wide ranging and extensive contributions to meteorology. You can read more about all winners at https://lnkd.in/eDSHnwHr The awards were celebrated this week in London together with the 2022 winners. Our presenters Alex Deakin and Aidan McGivern went to pick up the Michael Hunt Award for Increasing Public Understanding of Meteorology and its Applications, as did Dr David Walters to receive the FitzRoy Award for Professional Meteorology. Mike Kendon and Dr Mark McCarthy were part of a team of authors who received the International Journal of Climatology Editors’ Award. Read more about all 2022 winners here: https://lnkd.in/eWsz5TmY   

The European Space Agency - ESA have announced the contractors for the long-awaited Vigil mission which will transform global space weather forecasting.    Confirmation of the building of the satellite is the next step in positioning a satellite with a side-on view of the Sun to provide enhanced space weather forecasting.    As one of a handful of 24/7 space weather forecasting centres, the Met Office Space Weather Operations Centre (MOSWOC), which is now in its tenth year, is set to benefit from the new satellite.    Mark Gibbs, who leads MOSWOC said: “The Vigil mission represents a step-change in space weather forecasting capability. As well as replacing aging satellites, this mission will help to improve our forecasting capability and deepen our scientific understanding of coronal mass ejections (CMEs) that generate geomagnetic storms.”   Get more reaction in the blog 👇 https://lnkd.in/dadCXcnD   #SpaceWeather #GeomagneticStorms #Science

Human-induced climate change made the heavy storm downpours and total rainfall across the UK and Ireland between October 2023 and March 2024 more frequent and intense, according to a rapid attribution analysis by an international team of leading climate scientists. The scientists found that rainfall associated with storms is becoming both more intense and more likely. In a pre-industrial climate, rainfall from storms as intense as the 2023-24 season, had an estimated return period of 1 in 50 years. However, in today’s climate, with 1.2°C of global warming, similarly intense storm rainfall is expected to occur more often, about once every five years. Climate change has also increased the amount of rainfall from these storms, making them about 20% more intense. If global warming reaches 2°C, storm rainfall could become a further 4% more intense and could occur about once every three years. Read our news release for more information and a link to the full study: https://lnkd.in/e4nAznJD

You may know that meteorology – the study of weather phenomena – is one of our cornerstones 🌦    We are the UK’s national weather service, and our forecasts are relied on every day by millions of people and organisations to help them prepare for what’s ahead – sun, rain, wind, thunder and even snow ⚡    Following a stormy winter, a wet spring and some recent sunshine, we’re looking for qualified Operational Meteorologists to join our motivated team this summer ⛱    You’ll help us provide timely, accurate and helpful forecasts with expert advice for our customers, including the public, government and industry, and the military.    You’ll based at a Royal Air Force or Army Air Corps station within the UK or at Heathrow Airport. You’ll also have opportunities to work overseas, including in Cyprus, Gibraltar or even Antarctica. And you’ll typically do a pattern of 12-hour day and night shifts, including evenings and weekends.     Find out more and apply by Monday June 3 ⤵ https://lnkd.in/ewbKh_p7 See what some of our meteorologists say about working with us ⤵ #GreatPlaceToWork #UKBestWorkPlaces #JobOpportunities #Meteorology #WeatherForecasting Ele Hands, Rosie Hill

Today is UN Biodiversity’s International Day for Biological Diversity and this year’s theme is “be part of the plan”. Everyone from governments, businesses, and individuals, has a part to play in restoring and maintaining biodiversity, including the Met Office. At our head office in Exeter we have recognised the need to promote and protect biodiversity on site, taking wildlife actions including introducing areas of wildflower meadow, installing bat and bird boxes, and creating wood piles for hibernating reptiles and amphibians. We have many staff members who are passionate about monitoring and promoting our local biodiversity, with regular surveys that have enabled us to have recorded over 500 species of plants, fungi, insects, butterflies, moths, birds, bats, reptiles, and mammals on site – and the number continues to grow. So, on this #BiodiversityDay, we’d love to hear about the biodiversity around you, whether at your workplace, your garden, or out and about locally. Feel free to share what you’ve found in the comments. Find out more about how we are making ourselves part of the plan: https://lnkd.in/eB2UxN-w #Biodiversity #BiodiversityPlan #GetClimateReady